Blog 6

I must agree that there are many misconceptions as to what a school counselor actually does through their work.  I have had many individuals call what I am doing in school, "learning to be a therapist."  I also have had my neighbor ask if I teach her daughter to do things differently because she thinks she needs therapy.  This definitely when I step in and speak up about what it actually means to be a school counselor, and what I am learning in my coursework.

                The acronyms provided in the chapter have already been written down as I prepare myself to enter a field of work where these things could happen.  I want to be fully prepared to help a student and be able to become aware of a student that "flies under the radar," but is demonstrating anything provided in the "IS PATH WARM?" and "SLAP" acronyms. 

                Another heading that hit close to another topic in my own personal life was that if "Multiculturally Appropriate Counseling,"  I know that many of you have or are currently taking multicultural counseling here at Millersville, and I can't stress enough how important it is to become culturally competent as we gain an education to become school counselors.  I was even asked to be interviewed for a student currently taking multicultural counseling.  I know that even when I went through elementary, middle, and high school my sister and I were the only two students that fell outside of the Anglo-American demographic of the school. My parents also encountered difficulties because the school counselor did not know how to effectively interact and communicate with my Korean mother and Anglo-American fathers as well as my sister and I.

                I also appreciated knowing that becoming a school counselor also means gaining and having creative strategies to interact with students as well as knowing of multiple intelligences.  I would have been much more open when speaking with my counselor when I was reported by some of my friends and classmates for cutting.  Unfortunately, I had a school counselor pull me into her office, she then said that I was doing well academically, and did not understand why I was reported by my friends.  There was no communication where she asked me how I was doing and wanted to know more about me. I basically was told that my grades were good, and she then sent me back to geometry class. 

Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc.